Queues have formed outside pubs in Ireland as a 90-year ban on serving alcohol on Good Friday was lifted.
Some punters eager to experience the novelty of ordering a pint on the holy day were lined up outside early opening bars from 7am.
In what was set to be a long and productive day for hostelry owners, many pubs were buzzing throughout Friday morning as revellers reaped the benefits of the law change.
Publican Brian Conlon, of Slattery's Bar on Capel Street in Dublin city centre, was one of the first to pull a legal Good Friday pint at 7am on Friday morning.
"It was busier than usual this morning; when I opened up at 7am there were queues at the front door," he said.
"I think people were more coming in for the novelty factor that it was the first time in 90-odd years that you could legally have a drink."
He said many of the punters were tourists from places such as England, Spain and Germany who arrived in Dublin and needed to wait until lunch to check into hotels.
"They are all in having pints, they are all having breakfast - that option wouldn't have been there last year, so I think it's a great thing," he said.
Conlon said his staff were happy to work on what previously had been a day off.
"They are all excited to come in and work, they want to be part of history because of us being the first bar to actually serve drink at 7am," he said.
The Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2017, which was voted through the Dail parliament in January, overturned a ban on Good Friday drinking that had existed since 1927.
The move came after years of campaigning from a hospitality industry infuriated at the annual lost revenue opportunity at the start of the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Some Christian campaigners remain opposed to legislation that won the support of all parties in the Dail.
There were some exceptions to the 90-year Good Friday ban - alcohol could be served to hotel residents; those travelling by air, rail or sea; or people attending a theatre show or a sporting event such as greyhound racing.
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